Release #10.037
August 31, 2010

Delta Air Lines Flight 253 Pilots to Receive ALPA Award for Valor

WASHINGTON—Delta Air Lines Captain A. Ray Miller of Clifton, Va., First Officer Steven Stewart of Henderson, Ky., and First Officer Gregory Fedele of Stuart, Fla., have been honored with the Aviation Security Award for Valor by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) for their handling of the attempted terrorist bombing attack on their flight on Christmas Day, 2009.

Also honored were the eight flight attendants who were working that flight. ALPA pilot leaders presented the awards, given for valor during an event involving airline security, at the Association’s Air Safety Forum held August 31 in Washington, D.C.

Delta MEC Chairman Captain Lee Moak remarked, “Every day, the flying public depends upon the unparalleled skill, extensive training, and unmatched professionalism of pilots like Captain Ray Miller and First Officers Steve Stewart and Greg Fedele. The pilots of Flight 253 faced an extraordinarily complex situation and met it with a decisive, confident, and comprehensive response. While their actions under pressure were remarkable by every measure, they were typical of the decisions made by our pilots on a daily basis, decisions that result in safely transporting the millions of passengers we carry each year. Not only did Flight 253’s passengers arrive safely, but the attacker was swiftly delivered to the U.S. justice system.”

The positive actions of the flight crew and the cabin crew—their quick assessment of the situation and setting priorities, their smooth crew coordination, and the pilots’ superb handling of the wide body airliner, all in an extremely compressed time frame—allowed them to conduct an approach in low visibility and safely land in an extraordinarily short amount of time.
The timely actions of this crew minimized the threats that faced Northwest Flight 253 and allowed them to bring their passengers safely to their destination.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union, representing nearly 53,000 pilots at 38 airlines in the United States and Canada.

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CONTACT: ALPA Communications, 703/481-4440 or media@alpa.org